


Eclipse

by JudetheInvincible



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, That's it, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, eclipse - Freeform, proposal, that's the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 19:49:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11881590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JudetheInvincible/pseuds/JudetheInvincible
Summary: 2 minutes and 34 seconds long.  Just long enough to last a lifetime.





	Eclipse

The car was hot.

And Merlin's rear end was nearly numb. Neither he nor Arthur had gotten out of the car and walked around for at least two and a half hours, but at least Arthur was doing something with his legs, even if it was only pressing the gas pedal. They had barely said anything since they’d gotten into the car that morning.

Merlin swallowed and his mouth tasted like stomach acid and bile. They'd run out of water in the bottle they had in the front seat, and if they didn't arrive soon, they might not get a spot. So they couldn't stop to get the water out of the boot even if they wanted to.

It was a once in a lifetime chance. It had been thirty eight years since the last one. There was no way in hell that Merlin would miss this.

And of course, wherever Merlin went, Arthur would follow. Without question. Anywhere.

Merlin played with the ring on his index finger absently. It was a size or two too big, and he would probably never grow into it, but Arthur had bought it for him when they were dating long-distance. He wasn't going to take it off. Besides, it was perfect.

As they plowed down the interstate, Merlin pulled up the map on his phone.

"Left turn lane," he said, trusting Arthur not to need any more information. As he expected, Arthur only nodded and clicked on his indicator.

"What's that?" Arthur asked as he waited for the line, which looked like it might be 100 yards long, to move. He was pointing at a ten foot tall fiberglass cow with a hole in it that looked like a concessions stand.

"Besides a cow? No idea." Merlin looked around at the mostly empty lot that the cow seemed to belong to and he gestured to the sign. "Well, we've got beer, tobacco, 'kratom' whatever that is, and cigars. It's a great mix."

"There's a pawn shop across the interstate. Its sign just says 'guns.'"

Someone got out of their car and walked, without much of a hurry, down to the drive-in theater.

"So," Arthur continued, chuckling. "In this small space we have: alcohol, drugs, guns, and antiques. I can only imagine what people do with all of that. It sounds very safe."

"That's Kentucky for you," Merlin snorted.

"Are you kidding? That's like, the entire south for you. In four words."

"Well, if 'Kentucky' or 'South' ever comes up in a game of 25 words of less, we know exactly what we'll be saying."

The line crept forwards and the two of them teased the patchwork of the sign. They paid for a food and beverage permit and then for a parking space, and parked their mini Cooper on a patch of grass. Merlin checked his watch.

"Well, okay, we're five hours early."

"It's standard Pendragon attendance," Arthur teased.

"Of course."

They walked together over to a line, mostly to figure out what the line was for. The drive-in theater had made their own shirts apparently, and they weren't too expensive in the grand scheme of things, so Arthur got the two eclipse t-shirts. They changed into them in the car. They grabbed a couple corndogs and sat on the hood.

"Cheers," Merlin said, laughing, as they tapped the corndogs together.

"Cheers," Arthur said in reply.

Someone was playing "Ring of Fire" off in the distance and people put up umbrellas all over. Merlin could just glimpse a clump of folks hiding out under the screen.

Merlin clasped Arthur's hand in his and laughed when Arthur started grinning stupidly.

"God, it's so hot out," groaned Merlin.

"Just like you," replied Arthur with a grin. Merlin laughed and knocked their heads together gently. He kissed Arthur on the forehead and they curled up together, inside arms wrapped around each other's shoulders with the other hands interlocking like two puzzle pieces. They hummed and murmured melodies with no lyrics to go along with them, begging time to pass.

"How long is the eclipse supposed to be, again?" asked Arthur after a while. He sounded a bit nervous.

"Two minutes and thirty four seconds," Merlin replied. "Why? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Arthur smiled. His hand was sweaty against Merlin's. He leaned his head into Merlin's shoulder. "There's a tent with some experts talking about everything over there. Do you want to go listen to them?"

"Nah, I'd rather be out here, unless you'd like to. If you want to listen to them, I'd go with you." Merlin replied softly.

"Nah," was Arthur's thoroughly articulate response. But since he didn't try to move, Merlin could only assume he wanted to stay, lounging on the car.

The song, which neither of them recognized, ended and changed to "Werewolves of London."

"Isn't Gwen's band playing this?" Arthur's jaw moved against Merlin's shoulder.

They passed the next few hours with idle questions and answers. They cuddled together on the hood of their car, watching the sun with their filter glasses.

Then after a couple hours:

"Hey, check it." His boyfriend pointed. The moon had just begun to cover the sun. It wasn't too clear, but it was big enough to see.

"Aw, sweet."

"Just before totality, there's a 'diamond ring' around the moon. It's going to be gorgeous. I'm really excited for it." Arthur drummed his fingers against Merlin's hand and he was biting his lip. Merlin squeezed his hand, hoping to calm him down. It seemed to do nothing but make him more jittery.

The moon crept closer and gobbled up more and more of the sun.

Before they knew it, the sun was completely obscured by the moon with a flash of light as a parting gift; the diamond ring.

Merlin's boyfriend disentangled himself from Merlin, hopped off the hood and pulled a tiny red box from his pocket. Merlin stared. The darkness only added to the surrealism.

"Merlin, I've been waiting for this for almost three months. I love you, and I want to live with you in a little house in Wales with you with three cats and a dog, just liked we always talked about. Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you. But I've been waiting for this for three months and now that the eclipse is finally here, I only have two and a half minutes. So what I'm really trying to say is," he popped the box open, to reveal a black ring with a golden line through the middle and a flare on the top, "will you marry me?"

Merlin slid off the hood into Arthur's arms, practically squealing.

"Yes! Oh my god, yes!" Arthur put the ring on Merlin's finger, and the two of them laughed together in the grass.

"Hey, it fits me," Merlin teased.

"That's good to hear. I would hate to take it back."

Side by side in the course grass of a Kentucky drive-in theater, Merlin and Arthur kissed, happiness overflowing from their hearts like tea cups under a waterfall.

2 minutes and 34 seconds. Just long enough to last a lifetime.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a day late, but I was stuck in a car for 14 hours yesterday and got home from Kentucky at 3:30 am. So I hope you all enjoy this fic.


End file.
